Each time the Toronto Maple Leafs get a player back, another one ends injured. On the same night that they got John Tavares back in the lineup, they lost Morgan Rielly, and it doesn't look good.
Rielly left the game on Saturday night in the first period against Montreal with a lower-body injury; he tried taking a shift in the second period but couldn't and headed straight to the dressing room and didn't return.
Rielly's injury is a huge blow to the Leafs
If we rewind all the way back to the offseason, there was a small group of the fan base that wanted Rielly to return to the Maple Leafs' organization. Now, months later, he is exiting a game, and fans are worried about how long he was out of the lineup. It truly goes to show just how good he has been playing this season, for a fan base like Toronto's to drastically change their views on him.
Unfortunately, with no injury being provided by Jim Hiller after the game, it doesn't look good for Rielly. In fact, Hiller had an interesting quote when he was asked about his defenceman.
""Obviously didn't finish; that's never a good sign. We'll see. We'll know a little bit more tomorrow ... It's a big blow, so hopefully it's not too long.""
This isn't your standard messaging from a coach after losing one of their top defenders. The most interesting part of it is how the underlying message speaks to the fact that Rielly could be out for a significant period of time. If he is, there is going to be a bug hole to fill on the back end. They are still without Nick Blankenburg and Marshall Rafai, which could open the door for Ben Danford to finally get an opportunity at the NHL level.
Rielly, 32, has had a great season so far; he has 12 assists over 18 games this season with the Maple Leafs. He is currently in his 14th season with the club and has scored 98 goals and 463 assists in 968 career games with the club.
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